"One should feel embarrassed, given their gender, during a sensitive medical consultation with a transgender individual."
In Rome's La Storta, a Shocking Encounter with Contempt
Meet Dr. Filiberto De Simone, his face etched with disdain as he confronts a 45-year-old patient. This patient, who had undergone a gender change, is not just met with coldness but outright ridicule and disrespect.
"I refuse to tailor my medicine to these trends," Dr. Simone proclaims, further adding, "I have no intention of being the pawn of these biological fallacies." His office, situated near Via Cassia, is filled with hostile remarks and subtle delays when it comes to issuing a certificate following a specialist visit.
The patient, feeling violated, files a complaint to the prosecutor's office and sends a report to the medical association. The complaint states, "This event occurs within a normative, societal, and human context of paramount importance. Respect for the individual, encompassing every dimension and distinct identity, constitutes not only an ethical and civil duty, but also an unbreakable legal and constitutional commitment."
Fabrizio Consiglio, a seasoned criminal lawyer, supports the patient's claims. He argues, "My client has suffered serious and unjustified homophobic slurs, delivered by a doctor in the exercise of his duties." This conduct is twice as inexcusable, he states, "not only for its discriminatory content and injury to personal dignity, but also for the position of trust and responsibility the doctor holds."
The complaint suggests potential criminal charges ranging from incitement to hatred based on gender identity, private violence, defamation, personal injuries in case psychological damage is established, harassment, and abuse of office, depending on whether any violations of public duties connected to the doctor's state-conferred role emerge. The case now lies in the hands of the magistrates at Piazzale Clodio.
"I have never felt so humiliated in my life," the 45-year-old recalls. Her ordeal began on June 7th, 2023, when she visited Dr. Simone's office for a breast problem. "I had no idea who this doctor was," she recounts. "After the examination, he asked when I last had my period. I explained I didn't have periods and he demanded explanations."
What followed was a verbal assault. "You are a man and you will always be a man. These are not things that can be altered with a certificate," he said. She tried to protest, but was left speechless. "I managed to tell him he was rude, that he was offending me, that everyone outside the office could hear him." DeSimone retorted, announcing he didn't care and that she could always file a complaint for a privacy violation.
The visit was completed, the certificate was issued. But the "contemptuous and hostile" behavior, the 45-year-old cannot forget, cannot erase. "I have never felt so ashamed. Fortunately, I've never experienced such a situation. I felt humiliated. Especially in front of my husband. We've been together for eighteen years, and he was there with me, hearing all those hurtful things. I also thought: what if there had been a friend of mine or someone else who I hadn't shared my story with?"
- Dr. Filiberto De Simone's refusal to adapt his medical practice to contemporary issues, such as health-and-wellness and sexual-health, has sparked controversy.
- The general-news and politics spheres have also shown interest in the case, given the questionable treatment of an individual's rights and dignity.
- Mental-health professionals have emphasized the long-term effects of such incidents on the patient's well-being, stressing the severity of the situation.
- Crimes like incitement to hatred based on gender identity, private violence, defamation, personal injuries, harassment, and abuse of office are under investigation, as the legal system ensures justice for all citizens, regardless of their identity.
